Apple

11/01/2017

I previously posted about a vulnerability discovered in WPA2 Wi-Fi encryption called KRACK. Many companies were quick to announce fixes in the works, with Microsoft and Cisco patches available within hours. Apple doesn't typically respond as quickly as others and was true to form once again. While fixes have been available from other manufacturers for a couple of weeks, Apple finally released its patch for the KRACK attack. Several security fixes as well as one for the KRACK vulnerability were released in the macOS 10.13.1 and iOS 11.1 operating systems. If you are an Apple user, make sure you apply the patch as soon as possible.

10/25/2017

Despite what the Apple Fan Boys believe, Apple is just as vulnerable (if not more so) to security breaches. If you are a Mac user, there are several simple steps you can take to protect your data as reported by TechRepublic.

The first suggestion is to enable FileVault encryption. Just like Windows Bitlocker, FileVault encryption is included free with the operating system. No cost! Even though it is included in the operating system, you have to turn it on.

The next suggestion is to encrypt all backups. While encrypting all backups is a great suggestion, I'm not sure it will work with Time Machine. My previous testing indicated that enabling encryption prevented automatic backups via Time Machine. That means manual backups. I'll have to test it again, but certainly encrypting a backup is the desired outcome.

The third suggestion is to enable multi-factor authentication for all accounts. All I can say is Amen! Multi-factor authentication should be enabled if you are a Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android or any other operating system user.

The fourth suggestion is to avoid password application service features. I read this suggestion as avoiding password managers that only reside in the cloud. I'm not a fan of password managers in the cloud and prefer to have control of the password vault.

10/09/2017

Apple calls employees in the Apple stores geniuses. Sorry, but I don't think they are geniuses at all.

When Siri was first introduced, a lot of folks thought it was the smartest thing that ever happened to a smartphone. That may have been true in the early days, but Siri has gone to the "back of the bus" as far as the latest ratings go. According to Hot Hardware, engineers at Cornell decided to stack a number of competing AI assistants against each other to determine which boasted the highest IQ. Siri didn't fare that well. "When the dust settled, researchers found that Google's AI has an IQ of about 47.28, putting it slightly below the IQ of an average six-year old. Siri, in contrast, didn't fare all that well, with researchers finding that Apple's AI checked in with an IQ of 23.9."

10/04/2017

Do you use a Mac computer? You may be one of the thousands of people vulnerable to unpatched firmware. Just because you keep updating the OS doesn't mean that you are safe. Depending on your Mac model, you might not get the firmware patches you think you need. As reported by Bitdefender, the security firm Duo Labs recently set out to study the security of Mac firmware, more specifically the EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) in Macs for the past three years. Think of EFI as the system responsible for initializing all the hardware components when the computer first boots.

Duo Labs discovered that "There was a surprisingly high level of discrepancy between the EFI versions we expected to find running on the real-world Mac systems and the EFI versions we actually found running. This creates the situation where admins and users have installed the latest OS or security update, but for some reason, the EFI was not updated. Compounding this issue is the lack of notifications provided to the user to inform them that they are running an unexpected version of EFI firmware. This means that users and admins are often blind to the fact that their system's EFI may continue to be vulnerable."

Duo Labs provide some recommendations and tools to help:

Check if you're running the latest version of EFI for your system. As part of their research, Duo provided some new tools to help. You can find more about them and how to use them here.

If possible, update to the latest version of the OS 10.12.6. This will not only give you the latest versions of EFI firmware released by Apple, but also make sure you're patched against known software security issues as well.

If you're not able to update to version 10.12.6 either because your hardware is not able to run it, or because you need to run an older version for software compatibility reasons, you may be out of luck and not be able to run the most up-to-date EFI firmware

Check if you're running a Mac that is on the list of hardware that hasn't received an EFI update. If it is, you may be out of luck and not able to run up-to-date EFI firmware

If you're not able to run up-to-date EFI firmware for one reason or another, Duo recommends that you use their tool, EFIgy, to inform yourself whether your current version of EFI is exposed to a known EFI vulnerability.

09/21/2017

Seriously? Apparently, when you turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in the Control Center of iOS 11 it really doesn't turn it off. But wait…that's not a bug, it's a feature. According to Motherboard, this operation is exactly what Apple intended. When the user toggles Bluetooth and Wi-Fi off in the Control Center, you will immediately disconnect. That doesn't mean the wireless technology isn't available. Motherboard reported, "That is because Apple wants the iPhone to be able to continue using AirDrop, AirPlay, Apple Pencil, Apple Watch, Location Services, and other features, according to the documentation."

What a crap implementation. Don't count on using Control Center to actually control anything. Who knew? Here I thought that control actually meant to control something. You'll have to go to the Settings app to REALLY turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

09/20/2017

Apple has released iOS 11. There are a lot of changes with this new version of iOS and some are not happy with the release. Specifically, Windows guru Paul Thurrott says iOS 11 is a mess. Paul criticizes Apple for being inconsistent with how iOS 11 operates on various devices. As an example, "If you have the largest iPad Pro (12.9-inch, either generation), you can display two apps side-by-side. Those apps each look and work like traditional iPad apps. But if you have a smaller (9- or 10.5-inch) iPad Pro, you cannot do this." Paul also describes other crazy issues with iOS 11 such as requiring two hands to do some tasks.

iOS 11 will not run any 32-bit apps either. That's going to break a lot of apps. Should you update now or wait until application developers update applications to 64-bit code? Which installed apps won't run on iOS 11? To get an idea of which apps aren't compatible with iOS 11, go to Settings > General > About > Applications and a list of incompatible apps will be displayed. Don't update to iOS 11 if there are apps listed you absolutely must use.

09/13/2017

According to a report by Threat Post, Security researchers at IoT security firm Armis have discovered several bugs that allow hackers to access your device because Bluetooth is on. Armis is calling the collection of eight zero-day vulnerabilities BlueBorne. "If exploited, the vulnerabilities could enable an attacker to take over devices, spread malware, or establish a 'man-in-the-middle' to gain access to critical data and networks without user interaction," according to the company. "The attack does not require the targeted device to be paired to the attacker's device, or even to be set on discoverable mode… since the Bluetooth process has high privileges on all operating systems, exploiting it provides virtually full control over the device." The BlueBorne vulnerabilities include:

Apple devices running iOS 10 are safe from BlueBorne, but older versions are vulnerable. Microsoft deployed a patch in July to deal with BlueBorne. Google has provided a patch for Android, but it is up to the carriers to distribute the update. If you are using an Android device that can't run Marshmallow, Nougat or Oreo; or an Apple device that can't run iOS 10; you will never see a patch. Now would be a good time to upgrade your hardware.

08/24/2017

If you are a Mac user, chances are there is some Windows application that you have to run. The solution for many is to run virtualization software such as Parallels or VMware. Both have announced new versions for the Mac OS. Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac is available now. VMware Fusion 10 for Mac and Workstation 14 for Windows and Linux will be available in October. Both products are adding support for the new MacBook Pro's Touch Bar.

According to ars Technica, "For people who need to run Windows or Linux on more than one Mac, the VMware pricing is better. A Parallels Desktop 13 license for one Mac costs $79.99 as a one-time purchase. That gets you the entry-level edition; Parallels' professional edition with extra features is licensed as a subscription costing $99.99 a year for each Mac. Customers upgrading from version 11 or 12 can get a perpetual license for a one-time charge of $49.99 or the subscription for $49.99 a year."

I am a big fan of VMware and would suggest you look at its products first.

08/21/2017

Last week a hacker published the decryption key for the Apple iOS Secure Enclave Processor (SEP) firmware. Apples stated that if the key is legitimate, user data would not be at risk. Touch ID uses the SEP to make authentication via a fingerprint scan and was first introduced with the iPhone 5S. Normally, having access to a decryption key is a big deal. In this case, it is not as bad as it sounds. Yes, security researchers will now be able to study the SEP more fully. The exposure will allow access to the firmware, but does not allow a third-party to decrypt and access TouchID or other data passing through SEP. However, it would allow the Touch ID to be bypassed. BGRreported that "Even if malicious hackers find security holes to exploit in the software that governs it, they'll probably need physical access to your iPhone 5s to update the Secure Enclave's software and then abuse it."

08/15/2017

A very large portion of malware infections start by someone opening a dangerous attachment or clicking on a malicious link. The bad guys are getting really good at crafting e-mails that get users to click without thinking. Before clicking, it would be nice to know where a particular link was going to send you. Graham Cluley writes, "On Apple iPhones, for instance, there is a way to view a URL before you click (press and hold a link to open a window that displays a link's URL) but it's a palarver [sic] compared to simply hovering your mouse over a link. And even then, the limitations of a mobile device's screen size may mean that you can't see the *full* URL, or the use of a URL redirection service might disguise the link's true destination."

Google is helping iPhone users by bringing anti-phishing security checks to its Gmail app for iOS. If Google believes the link to be malicious, a warning box will pop up telling you that "This link leads you to an untrusted site. Are you sure you want to proceed to <example>.com?" You have a choice to cancel or proceed. If you proceed, an even stronger message will be displayed. A similar feature has been available to Gmail users on Android since May. While Google's warnings are a good step, don't think that every bad link will be tagged as suspect. Sometimes you do have to use your brain to exercise caution when using technology.

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